Elstree Screen Arts Academy

About Elstree Screen Arts Academy

Elstree Screen Arts Academy’s headline Progress 8 score of -0.79 sits well below the Hertfordshire local authority average of 0.18, a gap of nearly a full grade per subject. This places the school 71st out of 86 secondary schools in the county, and in the bottom 50 nationally. However, the school is a specialist 14-19 institution, meaning it takes students at the start of Key Stage 4 rather than Year 7, which makes direct comparisons with traditional all-through secondaries tricky. Its Attainment 8 score of 36.6 is modest, and no pupils entered the EBacc suite of qualifications. Yet the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025 awarded it Outstanding in every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision — a significant upgrade from its previous Good rating in 2019. This suggests inspectors saw a school that has transformed its culture and curriculum, even if the raw exam data hasn’t yet caught up.

At Key Stage 4, 55.2% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, a solid benchmark. The school’s EBacc average point score of 2.67 reflects its decision not to enter students for the full EBacc suite, which is common for specialist schools. At A-level, the picture is more mixed: the school’s value-added score of -0.32 is rated below average, with pupils achieving an average of 32.16 points per entry (roughly a C+ grade) and a best three A-level grade of D-. The sixth form has 82 students, and Ofsted rated it Outstanding, so the small cohort may benefit from close attention. Parents are overwhelmingly positive: 98% would recommend the school, and 82% strongly agree their child is happy. In the Parent View survey, 83% strongly agree their child feels safe, and 75% strongly agree the school supports wider personal development. These are unusually high scores for a school with below-average exam results, suggesting the school’s strengths lie in pastoral care and student wellbeing rather than pure academic metrics.

The school operates from a site in Hertsmere with a strong range of facilities including a theatre, art studios, music rooms, a swimming pool, astro turf, and a sixth form centre. It offers sports from football to dance, and clubs including Eco Club, Model UN, and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. SEND provision covers seven categories, including autistic spectrum disorder and social, emotional and mental health needs, and 71% of parents strongly agree that SEND children get the support they need. With 498 pupils against a capacity of 600, the school is not oversubscribed, and 21.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, above the national average. This is a school that suits families who prioritise a supportive, specialist environment over raw exam performance, particularly for students who may have struggled in a traditional secondary setting or who want to focus on creative and screen arts from age 14.

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